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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005114">We Shall Be Monsters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpingJill/pseuds/JumpingJill'>JumpingJill</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Kyber Crystals and the misuse thereof, M/M, Murder, Sith being Sith, Small discussion of non-human genitalia, Vader is only mentioned, Xenobiology, cloning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:54:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpingJill/pseuds/JumpingJill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheev Palpatine meets Snoke at a party. The rest is history.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sheev Palpatine/Snoke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Star Wars Rare Pairs 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>We Shall Be Monsters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmelyss/gifts">callmelyss</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Naboo, in the later days of the Old Republic</em>
</p><p>As the eldest son of the Palpatines, Sheev was often brought to important places and introduced to wealthy and influential people, even at a young age. The Palpatine clan was nouveau riche, and his father was eager to make connections to further the family status. Sheev himself harbored political ambitions, though so far not much had come from it. So from party to party, his loud and boorish father and brothers, his tittering mother and sisters, and himself were bound, both to see and be seen. His mother and sisters were admired as pretty things, if rather lacking in polish, his father tolerated for his fortune, his brothers for their physical prowess, while Sheev was regarded a quiet, if charming young man of mild interest only.</p><p> It was frustrating for Sheev, but it also gave him time to observe his fellows. If what he saw could be put to use later, so much the better.</p><p>It was at one such party that Sheev met Snoke. The hosts had decorated the ballroom in red and black, in celebration of some old holiday that no one but the Old Houses observed any more. It made the room rather stuffy, and Sheev sweated into his collar while his father held court down the way. He could hear the roars of his brothers and titters of his mother and sisters from his place behind a potted plant.</p><p>He wrinkled his nose; it seemed that there was nothing to be gained from his attendance that night, and he thought longingly of the hover carriages.</p><p>There was a chuckle from behind him. He turned and saw that someone was sitting by the fire, huddled under a luxurious velvet cloak and hidden by the back of the chair. “Rather dull, aren’t they?” said the person, their voice low, like a deep pool of water.</p><p>Sheev could not make out the person underneath the velvet cloak, turned away as they were, which piqued his interest immediately. People came to a party to be looked at. Why was this person hidden away?</p><p>A brisk breeze came through an open window, sending chills up and down Sheev’s spine. The hidden person chuckled. “There is a fire here, and I am pleased to share if you don’t mind keeping an old man company.”</p><p>Sheev, less cautious than he would be otherwise, walked to the fire. He hesitated briefly as he passed the tall-back chair, but the fire beckoned with its warmth. Strange how he had gone from sweating through his clothes to shivering in an instant.</p><p>The stranger chuckled as he warmed himself, and Sheev turned at the sound. He beheld a wrinkled humanoid with a high bald forehead and nearly recoiled. The man’s eyes glittered, and he laughed again, a deep sonorous sound.</p><p>Sheev stood by the fire and watched as the humanoid male shifted and leaned forward. “Now tell me, young man. Since you have no interest in the rest of the party, what pray tell does interest you? Ah, but we haven’t been introduced.”</p><p>Sheev sketched a stiff bow. “Sheev Palpatine, son of Consinga Palpatine.”</p><p>“Palpatine, Palpatine… hmm yes. I’ve heard of your father,” and there were all sorts of implications there of what he had heard. The man made a rumbling sound like gravel and said, “I am Snoke.”</p><p>Sheev raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Snoke chuckled. “Let me see if I can guess your thought process, shall I? Perhaps I have no family name. Perhaps I am from a world where family names are unimportant. Perhaps I have elected to leave my family name behind for some unknown reason. Perhaps I sprung wholly from the earth and Snoke is the beginning and ending of me.” He bent his head, smiling. “Have I missed the mark?”</p><p> “I am sure, sir, that these are questions you often encounter upon introduction,” Sheev replied mildly, debating on whether he should sit in the open chair or leave.</p><p>Snoke laughed again. “True, very true. Especially here on this quaint planet of yours. Family does seem to be very… important.” As he spoke, Sheev could hear his father’s raucous laughter echoing in the room.</p><p> Snoke waved a hand, “To answer the rather tedious question, I am the last of a very long line of a very old family, now faded into obscurity. For those who know it, it is enough to open doors. But even for one such as myself, the burden of family history becomes rather too much to bear. And so, I have mostly left it behind.”</p><p>“Except for apparently using it to be invited to parties,” Sheev said, finally taking the open chair. He affected a bored air, but did not <em>lounge</em> as other members of his family would. “Ones in which you would rather hide in a corner for.”</p><p>“Ones that I find tiring and do not wish to attend,” Snoke agreed. “But one can hear useful things at parties, and it pays to keep the host in good humor. And occasionally one might meet an interesting fellow to converse with.”</p><p>If Snoke was attempting to flatter him, Sheev was not impressed. “And have you met any interesting persons?”</p><p>“Not yet,” Snoke said, steepling his fingers and peering over Sheev at him. “But the night is still young after all, and there is time. Now, I believe I ask you a question earlier. Let’s perhaps return to it.”</p><p>“I cannot imagine anything that I have to say that would interest you,” Sheev said diffidently, his gaze firmly on Snoke.</p><p>“No?” Snoke tilted his head, “Please, indulge in an old man’s curiosity.”</p><p>Sheev bowed his head. He mulled again, the option of taking his leave and retreating. There was an undercurrent to Snoke’s words, one that very subtly tugged at Sheev’s attention. It reminded him of the way his master would influence others to get what he wanted. But Sheev was not easily influenced. Detangle himself now from whatever Snoke was doing, or stay and perhaps maneuver the situation to his advantage? It might prove useful in the future to Sheev’s ambitions.</p><p>Sheev unbent his head and put on a smile, more charming than previously. “My main interest lies in politics.”</p><p>+++</p><p>Sheev and Snoke were still conversing when the party finally came to its close. The servants were lowering the lights and passing around dainty cups of hot chocolate. One appeared silently by the fire with a tray, his presence alerting the pair to the time.</p><p>Snoke took the cup with a sigh. “It seems our conversation is at an end.”</p><p>Sheev waved his hand, passing on his cup. “So it is.” He stood and stretched his limbs. He bowed to the other man. “I hope our time together was of some interest to you.”</p><p>Snoke chuckled, which devolved to a mild cough. He pulled his cloak around himself, passed the cup back to the servant (who disappeared with it) and stood as well. “A most refreshing evening. My thanks to you, young Sheev. You have made a few of my remaining tedious hours very interesting.”</p><p>“Come now,” Sheev said, smiling, “You seem hail and hearty enough.”</p><p>Snoke gave an inelegant snort. “One learns with the passage of the years that no one is immune to decay. There are those, of course, who believe that the secret to eternal life can be unlocked. But,” he gestured his arms wide, “it has yet to be found.”</p><p>“Eternal life?” Sheev paused.</p><p>“Another interest of yours?” Snoke asked, as they moved forward to join the rest of the crowd that was drifting towards the entrance.</p><p>“Perhaps,” Sheev said carefully. Perhaps it was merely an old man grumbling about his twilight years.</p><p>Snoke smiled oddly, and again, Sheev felt the subtle undercurrent of before. Snoke stumbled, and Sheev offered his arm on reflex, offering the other man help to walk. Snoke bent his head, and Sheev inclined his head as well. “Perhaps, if it is an interest, you might find a mutual party that would be pleased to discuss it further with you.” Snoke said lowly, in Sheev’s ear.</p><p>“Perhaps. And you would happen to know the being that shares this interest, do you?” Sheev murmured back, as they approached their hosts.</p><p>“I would indeed,” Snoke replied. They bowed to the hosts and bid their farewells. Sheev could hear his mother calling but elected to ignore her in favor of escorting Snoke to his own waiting hover carriage.</p><p>Snoke’s driver came out and took him from Sheev’s arm, helping him into the carriage. Sheev bowed. “Until the next time we meet.”</p><p>Snoke smiled. “Indeed, I am rather looking forward to it.”</p><p>Snoke’s hover carriage pulled away, and Sheev went back to his family, lost in thought. He did not hear the scolding from his mother, nor the gossip of his siblings, or even the jovial retelling of the evening by his father.</p><p>He parted ways with his family in Theed, choosing to return to his apartment, rather than the family estate. Once he entered, he went directly to the comm station and opened a secure channel. He kneeled on the floor as the other end was opened.</p><p>The person on the other side was cloaked in shadow. “Yes, my young apprentice?”</p><p>“I believe I may have found someone who shares a specific common goal with us. Would you like me to investigate further?” Sheev said, kneeling on the floor.</p><p>“And what makes you think this person is of interest?” said the shadow.</p><p>Sheev hesitated. “A feeling,” he said finally. “And I am sure he has the motivation.”</p><p>“A feeling,” the being replied, mulling Sheev’s words over. “What was this being’s name?”</p><p>“Snoke,” Sheev replied. “He did not give his family name. He was humanoid, and quite old, if I am to hazard a guess.”</p><p>“Snoke, Snoke… yes, I have heard of him. A scholar of ancient lore, if I recall. If your instincts about him are correct, he could prove very useful. See what you can find out from him.”</p><p>“Yes, my master,” Sheev replied, bowing his head. The comm switched off and the figure disappeared. Sheev remained kneeling for a moment longer, still as a statue.</p><p>+++</p><p>Three days later, Sheev received a missive from one of the oldest law firms in Theed.</p><p>A day later, he visited the firm, where he met with one of the partners, a mister Sillale Geterga.</p><p>“Master Palpatine,” the older man said, greeting him as he came in. “You will have to forgive the mess. We are still sorting through Mr. Snoke’s estate.”</p><p>“I see,” Sheev said, stone-faced. “And I am here because?”</p><p>“Before Mr. Snoke passed, he made an update to his will,” The lawyer said. “In it, he bequeathed a number of items to one Sheev Palpatine (that’s you of course), and made it explicit that these items were to be handed over to you as soon as possible.” He eagerly placed a small suitcase on the desk.</p><p>Sheev looked at it in puzzlement.</p><p>“Mr. Snoke was an eccentric person,” Geterga went on. “But my understanding is you would know what he meant when he bequeathed these items to you.”</p><p>“Which are?” Sheev asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>The lawyer looked at his notes. “A book, and a sealed box ten inches by two inches.”</p><p>Sheev finally leaned over and flipped the locks on the suitcase. He opened the lid and peered in. The lawyer tried to crane his neck to see, but Sheev shut the lid again, face blank.</p><p>“A book and a sealed box. I see both. Is there something I need to sign to receive these?”</p><p>“Oh, yes, if you would here…” The lawyer passed over a pad, smiling jovially. Sheev signed quickly, and then stood up.</p><p>“Thank you, sir, for your time,” he bowed. “Would you happen to know when the funeral is to be arranged?”</p><p>“Ah, he’s already been interred. Something to do with his culture or religion or something. Terribly sorry, I would have informed you if I had known sooner,” The lawyer stood up to see Sheev out.</p><p>Sheev waved a hand, smiling. “Thank you, sir.” He turned and walked out, the hand on the suitcase white.</p><p>+++</p><p>Sheev waited until he is alone again in his Theed apartment to take a second look at the suitcase. A book, bound in leather with real paper between its covers! He took a moment to run his hands along the cover page, slightly awed at both the expense and the inefficiency. Why not simple record a holo? Or even use flimsi?</p><p>He leafed through the book, pausing on a diagram of a crystal with hand-written notes. He read the words “Kyber” and “sentient crystal” and then there was a series of calculations and the words “resurrection of life beyond death.”</p><p>He paused, went back to the beginning, started reading, paused again, and then took out a pad and began making notes.</p><p>After several hours of this, he finally stopped a moment to rest, and examined the sealed box. He turned it over in his hands, the carvings strange. They reminded him of the Sith writings he had been shown by his master, cruel and jagged. There did not seem to be a way for him to open it. Frowning, he turned it this way and that, even pressing it up to his ear. He heard a faint hum of machinery, and he set it down again.</p><p>A mystery then. One that Snoke had left him. Perhaps it meant nothing. Perhaps it was merely the last whim of a dying man.</p><p>Sheev looked at the book again. Perhaps not.</p><p>+++</p><p>His master held up the book and looked at it carefully. “I will need some time to conduct my own studies, but Snoke was a brilliant man. If these contain any of his notes, they may lead to the answers we have been looking for.” He tucked the it into his robes.</p><p>“Yes, my Lord,” Sheev said, head bowed. He did not mention the copy he had already made, or the notes he had taken when he had read the book itself.</p><p>Darth Plagueis made a noise in this throat, and steepled his long grey fingers thoughtfully. “I believe it is time we started furthering your training. I’ve been neglectful of it as of late.”</p><p>Sheev bowed further. “It would be an honor, Lord.”</p><p>“However, I will need further proof that you are ready to take on that challenge. Perhaps…” Darth Plagueis tilted his head, face lost in shadow. “Your family is becoming a liability to our efforts, I am afraid.”</p><p>Sheev smiled. “I will take care of it, my lord.”</p><p>+++</p><p>
  <em>Coruscant, Year One of the Galactic Empire</em>
</p><p>There was much to be done in the aftermath of his ascension to Emperor. The Jedi had been dealt with, as with any beings in the Senate that openly opposed him. The war that had dragged on for so long wound down as quickly as it had begun. He felt a personal satisfaction in declaring the Jedi temple the site of his new palace and had left Mas Amedda in charge, knowing the Chargrian would see that his wishes were fulfilled.</p><p>His new apprentice was still undergoing extensive medical testing after his fight with the Jedi Kenobi. But Sidious, well acquainted with the Darkside, felt the fledgling Darth Vader would soon be ready for his new role as Sidious’s right hand.</p><p>And then, matters relatively settled, Sidious left for Naboo, obstensively in mourning for Senator Amidala. In truth, it was because Sheev finally had a use for his old family home.</p><p>When he arrived, he barely looked at the house he had grown up in, uncaring of the portraits of his family that looked down from the walls.</p><p>As he walked down the main hall, the late afternoon sun came slanting in the tall windows, chasing dark shadows across the floor. He smiled to himself, waving away his small retinue before continuing into the kitchen. He hummed to himself as he climbed down the stairs to the old wine cellar.</p><p>It has long been cleared of his father’s collection, extended, and modified. Several Kaminoans were checking the monitors and making notes. The leader, Glo Bahi, came forward as Sheev appeared.</p><p>“Emperor, welcome. As you can see, everything has been prepared as specified.” They gestured to the machinery behind them. “It is ready for any specimen you desire.”</p><p>Sidious allowed himself a chuckle. “Good,” he rasped, “I am pleased.”</p><p>He withdrew a sealed box from his robes and set it upon the nearest work surface. He let his fingers drag over the top for a moment, a near caress, before closing his eyes and reaching out for the Force. It curled in dark swirls around him, ever awaiting his commands. The box glowed faintly red, and opened, revealing a vial and a crystal.</p><p>Sidious gestured to the box, smiling.</p><p>Glo Bahi bowed and took out the vial, passing it to an assistant. “Do you have further specifications, sir?”</p><p>Sidious presented a pad, then hummed and steepled his fingers. “The specimen is rather unusual and must be handled with great care. I trust you understand.”</p><p>A final bow as Glo took the pad. “Of course, my lord.”</p><p>+++</p><p>The traditional mourning period on Naboo varied, but as Senator Amidala had been beloved, the reigning Queen had declared a full month of mourning. Sidious left the house when his presence was needed for ceremonial purposes, and he did make a eulogy lamenting the early death of such a promising young woman and her unborn child. But for the most part he did not leave his family home.</p><p>He corresponded with Coruscant, pleased with how Mas Amedda was attending to his commands. His apprentice he dispatched to hunt down remaining members of the Jedi Order, which he fell to with deadly focus. It kept him busy, it kept him angry. His training in the Darkside would progress well.</p><p>Mostly, however, Sidious took to his father’s old study, when he wasn’t down in the cellar watching the progress of the specimen. Something about the sample had caused a flurry of activity among the Kaminoans – unusual enough that additional work had been needed. Sidious had looked through the reports they gave him, but he lacked the necessary scientific background. He had impressed on them the glory they would receive if successful. Failure was not an option.</p><p>He found himself rereading the book that Snoke had left him.</p><p>“<em>In the end, the problem is not of flesh, for cloning technology has long been advanced in the galaxy. A clone is a blank slate, and if allowed to develop, may live an entirely different life from the original. A clone is a mere copy.</em></p><p>
  <em>However, it is this blank slate that makes cloning technology useful. If one finds a way to transport the spirit, that is to say, prevent the spirit from dissipating, into the new body, then the clone becomes the original in flesh and mind.”</em>
</p><p>Underneath was a small drawing in Snoke’s spidery hand. It was of a Kyber crystal, perfectly symmetrical. Sidious traced the outline of the crystal with a single finger, as he turned over Snoke’s words.</p><p>On a whim he pulled out the box and opened it, revealing the crystal.</p><p>He held it up to the light, and if he closed his eyes, he could hear a faint hum. If he were to hazard a guess, it was artificial, much like the crystal in his own lightsaber.</p><p>He turned back to the book.</p><p>“<em>If does not have a ready vessel into which one’s spirit can take over once their original body is gone, a substitute must be found in order the sustain the integrity of the spirit. Crystals have long been used to store numerical data. Perhaps they can be used to store the data of souls as well.”</em></p><p>+++</p><p>Sidious returned to Coruscant after the end of the mourning period. The progress of the specimen was slow, but the Kaminoans had warned him in the beginning that the project would take time to mature due to all the complications.</p><p>Patience was an old, old friend. He could wait. In the meantime, he had an Empire to run and a new apprentice to train, something he especially looked forward to with relish.</p><p>And of course, there was the book to keep him company.</p><p>“<em>The Force is an energy field that connects all living beings. It can be manipulated by those trained in its use, both in the Light and the Dark. It is of this person’s opinion, however, that the Force is less a companion and more a servant. A firm hand can direct its power to amazing heights. There are those who would advise against it, but their timidity would prevent others from reaching their true potential.</em></p><p><em>The Force offers power for those willing to make the sacrifices needed to obtain it. Power over others, power over nature, power over even death itself. Immortality has long been a dream of many of my predecessors. I believe I will be the one to achieve it.</em>”</p><p>Palpatine does not tell his new apprentice about the book, nor the lab in the cellar of his family home.</p><p>Better that Vader wallow in his anger and grief over his dead wife. It made a good leash.</p><p>+++       </p><p>For the next year or so, he made the periodic trips back and forth from Naboo. He has Mas Amedda leak to the press that he is still recovering from the treachery of the Jedi.</p><p>It is slow work, he understands, to grow a fully mature specimen, especially with the specifications required. The Kaminoans are diligent in their work, keep meticulous notes, and send regular updates over a secure channel. Sidious allows himself a moment to lament the waste when he will have to inevitably get rid of them.</p><p>Each time he visits he spends his time in the lab watching the slowly growing shape in the maturation chamber, his face lit by the glow of the machines. If he were a more sentimental person, he might think of the miracles of life, or perhaps even awe at the cloning technology itself. However, the glint in his eye was more due to an anticipation, and a growing greed.</p><p> Greed at the flesh taking shape, the growing limbs, the high bald forehead. He did not speak to the growing form in the tank, but he found himself returning again and again to the book, and writing notes under it.</p><p><em>“Exegol is a planet that was once a domain of the Sith, and has never been touched, as far as I am aware, by the Light side. Navigation to it is impossible without the use of one of the ancient Wayfinders.</em>”</p><p>“<em>There are rumors of a darksider cult that may be in possession of a Wayfinder – Perhaps a mission for Lord Vader when he grows restless. – S”</em></p><p>
  <em>“The Jedi, it should be noted, have their flaws, but their archives are impeccable. Many secrets may lie hidden there, if only one had access”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Unfortunately, the Jedi Archives were destroyed when a Jedi traitor infiltrated the temple. Not much of use was recovered in the aftermath. – S”</em>
</p><p>Glo Bahi approached Sidious during one of his visits, inquiring if he wished to make changes to the specimen’s physiology. They gestured to the more non-humanoid aspects of its form, which were starting to take shape. The genitalia in particular were overtly different.</p><p>Sidious pondered a moment, eyes drawn down the naked body. “No changes,” he said.</p><p>The Kaminoan bowed.</p><p>+++</p><p>After a year, he received word that the specimen was nearing the time of decantation. He made arrangements and left for Naboo, anticipation coiling within him.</p><p>When he finally arrived at his family estate, he went straight to the cellar. The scientists had gathered around the tank, murmuring among themselves as they fiddled with dials and checked readouts. One of them noticed his entrance, and spoke something to their leader.</p><p>They gracefully detached themselves from the group and stepped forward. Sidious waved them away, patience wearing thin.</p><p>“I presume that everything is ready?” he said, coming forward into the space being cleared for him.</p><p>Glo Bahi  followed behind. “You have good timing, my lord. The decantation process will begin shortly. We expect no issues.”</p><p>“Good,” Sidious said, stroking a hand across the glass. “You have not disappointed me.”</p><p>“It is an honor, my lord,” the Kaminoan said.</p><p>Sidious smiled, then unsheathed his lightsaber.</p><p>Ten minutes later the lab was silent again but for the whirling of the machinery. Sidious tucked away his saber and withdrew the crystal. It rose from his hand, pulsing strangely in the dim light.</p><p>Sidious closed his eyes and reached out into the Force. It came, as it always did, filled with malevolent intent. The crystal shrieked once, into the darkness, before falling silent. When it dropped into Sidious’s palm, it felt like any ordinary crystal, devoid of any trace of the Force.</p><p>The tank beeped, and a countdown flashed on the screen. The liquid inside began to drain, and Sidious watched as the creature inside awoke and began to thrash. He stepped over the body of one of his former scientists and opened the tank door. Out came the creature, still thrashing, along with half the maturation liquid.</p><p>Sidious crouched down and reached out to detangle the creature from the various tubes. The creature lashed out, and he caught the weak hand in his.</p><p>“Come now, Snoke, is that any way to treat an old friend?” Sidious said, amusement tinging his voice.</p><p>The creature paused, then opened his eyes and looked up at Sidious. Then he broke into a wide smile. “It has been a very long time, young Palpatine.” His features were no longer wrinkled, his limbs no longer bent with age. A young humanoid laid before him, in the prime of his life.</p><p>“Long enough that I am no longer young.” Sidious helped Snoke up off the floor. He had prepared a robe for Snoke, and offered it to him.</p><p>“Then I believe it is high time we continue that conversation,” Snoke said as he dressed.</p><p>Sidious felt his face spilt into a wide grin. “I would very much enjoy that.”</p><p>+++</p><p>“Do tell me,” Snoke says some time later, “What was the real reason you brought me back? We only spoke for an evening.”</p><p>Sidious paused in drinking his tea and smiled. “I was very anxious to continue our conversation.”</p><p>Snoke chuckled. “And that was all? A conversation with an old man?”</p><p>Sidious very slowly and deliberately looked the young humanoid up and down. “Along the way other factors came into consideration.”</p><p>“I see,” Snoke said mildly, taking a sip of his own drink. After a while, he said, “It has been a long time since I have taken a lover. I find myself rather open to the idea.”</p><p>“I shall bear it in mind,” Sidious replied.  </p><p>+++</p><p>
  <em>After the Battle of Endor, In a secret laboratory in the Unknown Regions</em>
</p><p>Snoke felt a nudge in the Force, and waved aside the human scientist that had been speaking. He turned and walked down the row of tanks, each filled with a clone, awaiting the time when they would fulfill their purpose.</p><p>He stopped in front of one tank and closed his eyes. “This one, I am sure of it,” he said to the trailing scientist.</p><p>The man leaped forward and began the decantation process.</p><p>Snoke smiled as a familiar presence filled the room. The clone raised a hand to the glass, and Snoke pressed his own to it.</p><p>The liquid drained, and the tank opened. Snoke walked forward to catch the young man as he fell out. The young man sputtered and coughed, but soon brought himself under control.</p><p>He opened his eyes, and Snoke saw they were a sickly yellow. Snoke brought up a hand to cradle the young man’s face.</p><p>“My lord, you have returned,” he said, pleased.</p><p>Sidious laughed, triumphant.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The title comes from the following quote from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - "It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another."<br/>This was not the pairing I originally intended on writing, but Palpatine and Snoke were too intriguing to pass up. I hope the recipient gets as much joy out of it as I had writing it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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